CARIBBEAN CRUISESHIP WHERE NEARLY 700 PEOPLE BECAME ILL INCLUDING ONE OF THEM. LIAM MARTIN WITH THE STORY. THE FIRST SHIP HIT BY NOROVIRUS SET A DUBIOUS RECORD, THE MOST SICK PEOPLE ABOARD A SHIP IN 20 YEARS. TWO CRUISES IN A WEEK DEVASTATED BY NOROVIRUS. IT WAS LIKE AN UNCONTROLLABLE TYPE OF SICKNESS. DENNIS AND HIS WIFE ARE FROM NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH AND THEY WERE PASSENGERS ABOARD THE ROYAL CARIBBEAN EXPLORER OF THE SEAS. DENNIS AND CLOSE TO 700 OTHERS WERE JUST THREE DAYS IN WHEN THEY FELL ILL. WE WENT TO THE DINING ROOM AND IT WAS PROBABLY 50% OF THE PEOPLE IN THE DINING ROOM AT NIGHT. THE VERY NEXT NIGHT, I WAS ONE OF THOSE THAT WAS MISSING FROM THE TABLE ALSO. THE CAUSE WAS NOROVIRUS. THE MOST COMMON OF THE STOMACH BUGS, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO GOT SICK THE HIGHEST ABOARD A CRUISESHIP IN TWO DECADES. BETWEEN THE PEOPLE REPORTING TO THE DOCTORS AND NOT REPORTING, THEY FIGURED THERE WAS ABOUT A THOUSAND PEOPLE ON THE SHIP THAT WERE SICK. ROYAL CARIBBEAN SHUT THE CRUISE DOWN TWO DAYS EARLY AND THEN PRINCESS CRUISES HIT BY NOROVIRUS DURING A TOUR OF THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN. CLOSE TO 200 SICK IN THAT CASE. PASSENGERS LIVID. THEY THREATENED PEOPLE AND TOLD THEM IF THEY DIDN'T STAY IN THEIR ROOM THEY WOULD HAVE THEM PUT ON A NAVY COAST GUARD SHIP AND BROUGHT PACK TO LAND. AS FOR DENNIS ON THE FIRST OF THE SICKLY CRUISESHIPS HE SAYS THE CREW HANDLED IT WELL AND HE IS ALREADY PLANNING HIS NEXT CRUISE. ROYAL CARIBBEAN OFFERED PASSENGERS A 50% REFUND AND A 50% CREDIT TOWARD A FUTURE